Abstract:

The crude extract from the twigs of Dorstenia elliptica (DET) as well one of the five compounds
isolated from this extract namely O-[3-(2, 2-dimethyl-3-oxo-2H-furan-5-yl)-3-
hydroxybutyl]bergaptol (5) were tested for their antimicrobial activity against bacteria and fungi.
The Agar disc diffusion test was used to determine the sensitivity of the tested samples while the
well micro-dilution was used to determine the minimal inhibition concentrations (MIC) and the
minimal microbicidal concentration (MMC) of the active samples. The results of the disc diffusion
assay showed that DET prevented the growth of all the 22 tested microbial species while the two
tested compounds showed selective activity. At the tested MIC interval ranged from 1.22 to 156.25
μg/ml for the crude extracts and 0.08 to 39.06 μg/ml for the compounds, the activity of DET was
noted on 20 of the 22 microbial species. The antimicrobial activities of DET as well as that
compound 5 are being reported for the first time. The overall results provide promising baseline
information for the potential use of the crude extract in the treatment of bacterial and fungal
infections.